When you’re riding a motorcycle for hours on end, the most important thing to be is safe. A close second is to be comfortable!

Depending on where you’re riding, climates can change drastically. From torrential downpour, to a chilly breeze to hot, sweltering sunshine. You have to be prepared for it all and your gear is there to assist.

Different types of motorcycle clothing are designed for different types of riding. For example, I wouldn’t wear my one-piece leather track outfit, complete with knee protection and such on a Harley-Davidson cruiser. It’s like wearing a bikini to a high school graduation banquet. It’s just not the right venue. Although, the dresses these days are fairly scant… But that’s beside the point.

A recent enduro ride - meaning I logged close to 1,000 km in under 36 hours - allowed me to test ride some new gear from The Netherlands-based company REV’IT! Having a sport bike background, I had always worn leathers when riding. I was making the transition over to textiles.

Photo: Kendy Michaloski

Being that this adventure would put me on a sport touring bike (a BMW F800ST) leathers would have been fine, but since my set is all black, it would have been a lot harder to stay comfortable. Leathers don’t breath very well, and the black colour would have been a heat magnet, leaving me feeling more dehydrated and fatigued than I would have wanted to be.

Luckily, I was in a set of textile gear. More specifically, the women’s Tornado jacket and pants. This pairing, which is specifically designed to be “your secret weapon against the heat of summer” has a very breathable quality to it. Both the pants and jacket have ventilation panels. There’s also a detachable 2-in-1 thermal liner and membrane that can keep you warmer on the cooler days, or can be taken out on the hotter days. And on wet days, it’s equipped to take on the rain, too, but keeping a rain suit on hand always helps.

Riding in the sunshine, which just happened to be the circumstances I was under, I couldn’t have been more thrilled with this ensemble. The silver coloured gear doesn’t attract the sun’s rays, therefore keeping me nice and cool. But to break up the neutral tone of the outfit, it is then accentuated with black and red. It has function and fashion all stitched together. Not to mention, the textile material is malleable and not stiff, so moving around to keep my body parts from falling asleep wasn’t an issue.

And speaking of fit, it matched my body type very well. For the pants, they come in standard, short and tall for various heights of women.

On the safety note, the Tornado comes with CE-approved armour, so in case you take a spill, it’s there to help protect you.

Of the textile gear I’ve tested, REV’IT! definitely takes the top spot. For adventure riders or those looking for a great set of quality riding clothes (men included), I highly recommend trying these on for size.

Check out http://www.revit.eu/ for the various styles and colour of gear.

Highlights:

• Strong textile material and not easily prone to ripping
• Colour combination is bright and easily visible
• Vent panels allow airflow to cool you down in the heat

Lowlights:

• Lighter coloured material can get visibly dirty much easier